Carton with interchangeable inentification means



"Jan. 8, 1963 L. EISMAN ETAL CARTON WITH INTERCHANGEABLE IDENTIFICATION MEANS Filed Oct. 9, 1961' fnveni'ofis'r larcy fzls'man and fiic'karci I'Zflalier' United States PatentOfifice 3,071,882 Patented Jan, 8, 1963 3,071,882 CARTON WITH INTERCHANGEABLE IDENTIFICATION MEANS Larry Eisman, Philadelphia, and Richard T. Walter, Norristown, Pa., assignors to Container Corporation of America, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 143,648 1 Claim. (Cl. 40312) This invention relates to cartons and boxes of the type used in the packaging of articles of merchandise for retail trade.

The invention comprehends an improved carton having separate identification means which are readily interchangeable to afford a greater degree of flexibility and versatility in the labeling of a package.

With the interchangeable identification means contemplated by the invention a single package or carton can be provided with separate sets of label markings, such as different price labels or advertising copy labels relating to different holidays or different products, which label markings can be readily interchanged without destroying the package or damaging it in any way.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the invention to provide, in a carton of the type described, readily interchangeable label identification means formed integrally with a wall of the carton.

A more specific object-of the invention is the provision,

in a carton of the type described, of label identificationtabs arranged in separate groups for alternate interchangeable selection and exposure.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from an examination of thefollowing description and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a closed carton embodying features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged front elevational view of a portion of the carton illustrated in FIGURE 1, with part of the structure shown broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, with the identification tabs of the respective panels shown in various positions to illustrate the interchangeability of the tabs; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the blank from the carton of the other views may be formed, the inside surface of the blank being shown in this view.

It will be understood that, for purposes of clarity, certain elements have intentionally omitted from certain views where they are illustrated to better advantage in other views.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of the invention, it will be seen that the carton illustrated in FIGURE 1 may beformed from a single blank 10, illustrated in FIGURE 4, of suitable flexible sheet material such as foldable paperboard.

Referring to FIGURE 4, it will be seen that the blank may be cut and scored to provide a series of elongated panels serially interconnected along parallel hinge lines. Viewing the blank from left to right, the panels are in the following order: front wall outer panel 12, side wall panel 14, rear wall panel 16, other side wall panel 14,

andfront wall inner panel 18. When the carton isin assembled condition the panels are arranged at right angles to each other with the front wall inner and outer panels overlapped and secured to each other in abutting parallel relationship in any desired manner as by means of an adhesive 20. r

In order to effect a closure of either or both ends of the carton there may be provided conventional closure flaps 22 hingedly attached to the opposite end edges of front wall outer panel 12 and closure flaps 24 hingedly attached to opposite end edges of the side wall panels 14.

The interchangeable identification feature of the carton resides in the provision of separate sets of the identification tabs which are cut from and hingedly attached to the respective outer and inner front wall panels of the carton in a manner hereinafter described. As best seen in FIG- URE 1, there may be provided one or more identification tabs 26 each of which is cut from the panel 12 to leave an opening 28 when the tab is folded out of the plane of the panel along the hinge line 30 on which it is hingedly attached to panel 12. Likewise, the front wall inner panel 18 may be provided with one or more identification tabs 32 cut from the panel 18 so as to leave an opening 34 when the tab 32 is folded out of the plane of the panel 18 along the hinge line 36 on which it is attached to panel 18.

As best seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, the identification tabs of the respective front wall panels are provided with different copy. To illustrate the invention, identification tabs 26 of front wall outer panel 12 has been labeled with the letters A, while identification tabs 32 of front wall inner panel 18 have been labeled with the letters B.

The operation of the interchangeable tab arrangement of the carton can best be seen by an examination of FIG- URE 3 of the drawing, wherein the various steps of interchange are shown in sequential stages.

Substitution of the exposure of inner panel identification tabs 32 for the exposure of outer panel identification tabs 26 is accomplished in the following manner: Inner tab 32 is folded rearwardly into the carton, out of the plane of panel 18, a suflicient distance to permit the related outer tab 26 to be folded rearwardly into the carton, out of the plane of panel 12, through opening 34 in the inner panel and in approximately parallel abutting relationship therewith with the rear surface of panel 18. At this point the inner tab 32 can be folded forward- 1y into the plane of its panel 18, so that it is in exposed position and can be seen through opening 30 in front wall outer panel 12.

It will be understood that to interchange the tabs it is usually necessary to open the end flaps at one end of the carton and remove the article packaged therein to, obtain clearance required for folding the tabs in a manner previously described. After this has been done the article may be repositioned within the carton and the closure flaps moved back into closed position.

Also, it willbe understood that this carton may be used as an outer covering for another carton. If this is done the carton may be provided with closure flaps at only one end thereof, so that when it is desired to change the label copy it may be slipped off the inner carton to effect the change and then replaced on the inner carton, without disturbing the position of the closure flaps at one end of the outer carton.

We claim:

An interchangeable identification arrangement for a paperboard carton, comprising: 7

(a) a carton wall including a pair of inner and outer panels disposed in overlapped relation;

(b) said inner and outer panels having cut therefrom inner and outer identification tabs, respectively, to form apertures in the respective panels, when the tabs are folded back into the carton out of the plane of said walls;

(c) said apertures being located in substantial alignment with each other to form a common opening in the carton wall;

A o i (d) said tabs being hinged to their respective panels References Cited in the file of this patent at opposite sides of said common openings so that either tab can be folded back into the carton while UNITED STATES PATENTS the other tab is folded into the plane of said carton 0 0 Hall Sept 9, 1913 2,167,637 Claff Aug. 1, 1939 wall and into said common opening to provide iden- 5 tificati th t ,791,846 Muelberger May 14, 195'! 

